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When you put these two together, plan on watching the sparks fly

Have you ever been in a meeting where you watch two wonderfully energentic people get together and watch the sparks fly?

That was my reaction when Ara Celi, the host of the newly launched AraCeliLive TV, met with my friend, Patsy Foxworth, a member of the ActionCOACH TeamLEGACY team and president elect of the San Antonio chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners several weeks ago.

Ara Celi has been in a lot of movies and TV shows. Her online resume includes full feature films to appearances on TV shows. Yet, while she lived in Los Angeles, she has moved back to her native Texas. Many of us are familiar with Ara Celi’s role as a TV pitch person for Fiesta Dodge, yet very few of us know that she has a role in the upcoming Robert Rodriguez’ film “Machete” where she will appear in scenes with Robert De Niro and Jessica Alba. That film is set to debut in September.

With Ara Celi set to debut her AraCeliLive TV at the end of this month, she and her partners, Broadramp, decided to announce the debut during a fund raiser to help a local charity. I suggested that she consider NAWBO’s “An Income of Her Own” as a beneficiary. Having worked with Patsy on the previous NAWBO luncheon earlier this spring, I was well aware of the life stories of the girls who won scholarships from the San Antonio NAWBO chapter.

Little did I know how much Patsy and Ara had in common. Both grew up in economically disadvantaged families. I know from working with Patsy about her passion for An Income of Her Own. At the age of 16, Patsy, one of the youngest of 10 kids, was given a ticket from Arkansas to Texas to live with her older sister where she finished her high school education. While attending school here, Patsy met a family who adopted her and a younger sister. This couple showed Patsy that she had a lot of potential and encouraged her to go to college and then complete a degree in journalism from Texas Woman’s University.

Ara’s story is similar. “My family life was not an inspiring or productive one,” she said. “My parents made the common mistake of focusing on

their dysfunctional marriage and leaving the innocent children to fend for

themselves.”

In high school, her high school drama teacher inspired her to pursue acting as a career choice. “Mrs. Davis gave me just what every child needs… she made me feel special,” she said. “She allowed me to believe that my dreams and aspirations were more than attainable…they were my destiny.”

If you are a business owner who cares about helping teen women from disadvantaged neighborhoods learn about how to make themselves successful in business or other work force opportunities, then please plan on joining NAWBO and Ara Celi for a party from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Old San Francisco Steak House, June 23. For more on this, here’s an official invite.